Zhu Kun's thoughts were dragged back against his will to less than ten years ago, to the scene of his first meeting with Lin Ming.
Back then, Lin Ming had brought his daughter, Zi Yan, here.
At the time, Lin Ming had been nothing more than a little guy at the Four-Star Dou Venerate realm.
Yes, Four-Star Dou Venerate. In the eyes of Zhu Kun, a Nine-Star Dou Saint Peak Ancient Void Dragon Emperor, a Four-Star Dou Venerate was practically no different from an ant.
With a casual breath, he could have blown such an existence into flying ash.
So, to thank Lin Ming for bringing his daughter here, he had used his Ancient Void Dragon Emperor Essence Blood to cleanse Lin Ming.
That cleansing had allowed Lin Ming to leap from Four-Star Dou Venerate straight to Eight-Star Dou Venerate, jumping four stars in one go.
After the cleansing, Lin Ming had left.
Over the next few years, as Zhu Kun guarded his daughter while she absorbed the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, he would occasionally think of Lin Ming and wonder how he was doing outside.
In Zhu Kun's estimation, from Eight-Star Dou Venerate to Nine-Star Dou Venerate Peak, and then to breaking through the shackles of Dou Venerate and stepping into Half Sage, there were no few thresholds in between.
Even with his Essence Blood as a foundation, without eight or ten years of effort, that kid could forget about even touching the threshold of Dou Saint.
Yet just over three years later, Lin Ming came here again.
When Zhu Kun sensed Lin Ming's aura again, he almost thought there was something wrong with his perception.
Because the Lin Ming standing before him was no longer the Peak Dou Venerate or Half Sage he had imagined, but a genuine